This invention addresses the technical sector relating to gas regulators.
More specifically, the invention relates to a gas pressure regulator equipped with a silencing device.
One prior art gas regulator comprises a central body in which an internal cavity is formed.
The central body is connected to a first, gas inlet pipe and a second, gas outlet pipe.
The regulator also comprises a shutter which is slidably fitted inside the cavity in the central body.
The shutter is mobile in the direction of its axis to adjust the opening of the gas passage section.
The shutter is mobile between a fully open position, where it allows the maximum flow of gas between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, and a closed position, where it engages with a seal which is inserted inside the central body and which is made of a compliant material (for example, rubber), to prevent the gas from flowing between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe.
The pressure regulator also comprises a silencing device designed to reduce the noise generated in the gas regulator by known physical phenomena such as gas acceleration to a speed faster than sound, the formation of shock waves, etc.
The silencing device comprises a mesh ring consisting of thin wire mesh and a pair of U-shaped edges on one side, which close the mesh.
The wire mesh is securely crimped within the U-shaped section of the respective pair of edges.
The silencing device thus made is mounted inside the central body, supported by a supporting element fixed to the central body.
The mesh ring forms a forced passage for the gas between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe.
When the speed of the gas is high, however, this type of silencing device tends to break frequently.
The mesh the ring is made from is not strong enough to resist high gas speeds and soon breaks.
Moreover, solid particles (such as dust or other debris) which may be carried by the gas leads to mesh wear and failure of the silencing device.
This type of pressure regulator is not therefore suitable for gas flowing at high speeds or containing solid particles, even small diameter particles (where the expression “small diameter” includes particles even smaller than 5 μm in diameter).
In conditions of high flow speed and/or in the presence of impurities in the gas, the mesh ring silencing device is replaced with a more robust silencing device capable of resisting high gas speeds.
In that case, the silencing device consists of a hollow cylinder made from a section bar or a single block, suitably machined, with a plurality of holes for the passage of the gas made on its outer peripheral surface usually by drilling with a machine tool.
This silencing device, however, is cumbersome, heavy and, above all, very expensive.
Furthermore, the production cycle of a silencing device of this kind is extremely lengthy.